


Hexarchate Board Game Club

by tonepoem



Category: Machineries of Empire Series - Yoon Ha Lee
Genre: Board Games, Cheris may be just slightly out of her depth, Crack, Games, Gen, Meta, Monopoly (Board Game), Yuletide Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2019-01-18 22:26:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12397494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tonepoem/pseuds/tonepoem
Summary: Jedao sighed and rolled the dice.  He advanced his piece to the Citadel of Eyes, which was an eye-searing red.  "I could have sworn that wasn't one of the standard properties," he said as he painstakingly counted his stash of Monopoly money.  "I owe you how much for all those stupid resorts you built, Shuos-zho?"The fourth player, Mikodez, smirked at Jedao.  "You owe me H$2,057," he said.  "Pony up."





	Hexarchate Board Game Club

**Author's Note:**

  * For [astrokath](https://archiveofourown.org/users/astrokath/gifts).



Jedao was poking moodily at the dice. "I don't see why we had to play Monopoly," he said. "It's so very Andan. See, even the best properties are Andan blue. Park Place and everything. And why did you stick me with the thimble? I don't want to be the thimble. I had to mend enough of my uniforms as a lieutenant, thank you very much."

"At least Kujen didn't give you the boot, to remind you of all the marching," Cheris said, rolling her eyes. What she had hoped would be a relaxing Friday night at the Hexarchate Board Game Club had turned into a griping session. Still, she was arrested by the mental image of Jedao hunched over a torn uniform, sewing patches onto it. "Did you really have to do your own mending? I had no idea you knew how to sew."

Jedao grimaced. "Oh, yes. I had to do my own mending on the farm, too, and my little sister's as well when she was too small to hold the needle without trying to eat it."

Cheris was additionally arrested by the thought of Jedao minding a little sister. Personally, she didn't like small children. She'd been an only child, and hadn't mingled much with other children even when she was one herself.

Across from her, Kujen was toying ostentatiously with the cannon piece, which he had claimed before Jedao could. "It's your turn," he reminded Jedao.

Jedao sighed and rolled the dice. He advanced his piece to the Citadel of Eyes, which was an eye-searing red. "I could have sworn that wasn't one of the standard properties," he said as he painstakingly counted his stash of Monopoly money. "I owe you _how much_ for all those stupid resorts you built, Shuos-zho?"

The fourth player, Mikodez, smirked at Jedao. "You owe me H$2,057," he said. "Pony up."

Jedao looked sadly at his much diminished stack of hexbucks. "You know I don't have that much, right? Can't you just put it on my tab?"

"Don't be absurd," Mikodez said. "Monopoly doesn't have tabs."

"Life was much easier when I was a ghost," Jedao complained. "Ghosts don't have to pay rent."

Cheris cleared her throat. "No, but anchors do," she said. "Also, do you really want to go back to our roommate arrangement? Because you really suck at doing the dishes, and you always left all your video games all over the floor."

"That's probably my fault," Kujen said offhandedly. "When he used to stay with me, I told him to leave it to the servants."

"Not all of us can be hexarchs," Cheris said, suppressing a shudder. She'd always found Kujen kind of creepy.

Jedao continued counting his Monopoly hexbucks. His brow furrowed. "I don't have enough," he said woefully.

"How much are you short by?" Mikodez said, too casually.

Jedao looked down at his half-gloved hands, then started working the calculation on his fingers.

Cheris sighed. "You need another H$313 to pay off Mikodez," she informed him.

Jedao squinted at his few unmortgaged properties. "What's the most efficient way to do this..."

Kujen laughed unkindly as Cheris pointed out a combination of properties that would allow Jedao to pay off Mikodez. "You really depend on her for everything, don't you?" Kujen said.

Jedao's smile was just slightly fixed. "Thank you," he said to Cheris.

"No problem," Cheris said. She kicked Kujen's shin under the table. "Don't be a jerk," she whispered to him as Jedao painstakingly handed over a pile of Monopoly money to Mikodez.

"Thank you," Mikodez said. "That will help me rebuild my Battleship armada."

Cheris frowned at him. "You can't use Monopoly money to buy improvements in completely different games!"

Jedao and Mikodez _looked_ at her. "Of course you can," Jedao said. "That's how we always played it at Shuos Academy. The whole point of Monopoly money is to buy lots of troops and things."

"Personally," Kujen said, studying his beautifully manicured fingernails with their black and silver nail polish, "I find that the whole military-industrial complex is overrated. I spend _my_ hexbucks on improved tools for Operation."

Cheris tried not to think too hard about that. Hexarchate-approved versions of Operation were known for their visceral realism. She wasn't squeamish--as a soldier she'd seen her share of guts--but she didn't exactly enjoy looking at ropes of intestine, either.

"That's hilarious coming from you," Jedao was retorting. "If it weren't for the military-industrial complex, you'd be out of a job."

"On the contrary," Kujen said, "unlike some people, I'm perfectly capable of maintaining an investment portfolio without losing everything each time there's a chance market fluctuation."

Cheris said, a little desperately, "It's just Monopoly money."

Mikodez, who'd been in the middle of eating a handful of snickerdoodles, lifted his eyebrows at Jedao. "You didn't fill her in?"

"I didn't have time," Jedao said irritably. "I was too busy trying to buy some new pawns for Chess."

"What's Chess?" Cheris said.

Jedao looked shifty. "We'll talk later, promise."

"It's a foreign game," Kujen said, causing Jedao to slant him an annoyed look. "Very popular among the Shuos for some reason. My dear Jedao, surely you realize that no one's going to let you advance a pawn very far down the ranks?"

"Anyway," Mikodez said loudly, "could we get back to the game? As nice as this latest morsel of profit was, I could use some more earnings."

"Real estate is such a pedestrian way to make money," Kujen said. "Have you ever considered something with a bit more zest?"

"Beats mucking about with sheep in Settlers of Catan," Mikodez shot back. "Do you know how incredibly annoying it is to have to convert planets' worth of sheep into something more liquid?"

Cheris felt increasingly that she had lost all control of the situation. "Uh, guys?" she said. "Could we get back to the game?"

"Of course," Jedao said. A dark glint flashed from his palm. He opened his fingers to show her a peculiar black game piece with a round base and spherical top. "You'll make a fine queen someday, Cheris. Everything's going according to plan." He made a gesture and the piece disappeared into a pocket.

 _I have got to get into some healthier hobbies,_ Cheris thought. Hanging out with these people was not remotely good for her. Next Friday she was going to go to a movie with Nerevor instead.


End file.
